All of us want to talk to the wacky football coach who believed football was nothing without character and respect. Matt Labrum is the head football coach at Union High School in Roosevelt, Utah. His team had just lost to Judge Memorial Catholic High School, and the worst was yet to come.

Coach Labrum had found out that almost all of his 50 players, excluding  freshman, had been cyber-bullying, skipping class, and disrespecting their teachers. After the loss against Judge Memorial Catholic High School Labrum started handing out letters, to every player. The letter was filled with harsh things, honest things, and tough things. The letter started, “ Gentlemen, we are not pleased with how our football brothers  are represented OUR family, school, community, alumni, and yourselves.” But most of all the letter stated, “TURN IN YOUR JERSEYS NOW!” The team had to turn in their jerseys and equipment. All 50 players, whether they did anything or not, were suspended from the team. Not only were they kicked off, but they had to get their grades up, do community service, and help their families in order to get the privilege to play again.

Karter Rook, went home and slept on what had just been laid out in front of him. Losing his team, he got up the next morning, grabbed a shovel, and went to clean the pig pen. Karter Rook shoveled pig poop. So what did the other 49 players do, they helped their families. Well the principal at Union High School knew about this plan, and he loved it. Not just as the principal, but as a father, his son is the senior running back for the Union Cougars. Last year, someone drove right through their fence. So the senior running back  fixed the fence.

Coach wanted all of his players to visit The Uintah Basin Rehibilitation and Senior Villa (nursing home). Half of the players went to the Senior Villa and half went to Parkside Manor. Rook went to Parkside Manor where he helped a resident with her slow Internet. He was taken back by her screen saver of four military brothers. The tallest one was her late husband. One football player, Jordan Gurr, came home after visiting and told his parents, “Yeah, we should probably do that again.” “It was a humbling – A humbling experience,” Rook explains, “ I know there were people [on the team] who didn’t like the idea of going originally, but we had a good time. The whole week had been fantastic. It was great in every possible way. I think we all grew as people and we learned the meaning of service.” Players had to record their service with proof.

The Judge Memorial game was on Friday. The team did projects for their family on Saturday and Sunday, on Monday, instead of practice, they pulled weeds and cleaned windows at the school. That night, there was the Unity in Athletics banquet was held at the school which honors several people—coaches, former players, faculty members, and a couple of community members. All 50 of the players showed up in slacks, shirts, and ties. They helped set up table and chairs., serve food and refill drinks. On Tuesday, they went to the nursing homes. Wednesday, they attended a two- hour study hall. Afterwards, they gathered in the locker room. A handful of the football players got reinstated. On Thursday morning, at 6:50 a.m. the team gathered, for their first and only practice before their homecoming game.

“We wanted change—and we are going to make changes now,” said Coach Labrum, and that’s just what they did. Many parents were not on board at first, but after seeing the change and the responsibility grow, they deemed the coach’s idea an amazing one. People like Coach Labrum are the people that that everybody needs in their life. Someone to push them to be better. Someone who will give zero tolerance towards bullying. Someone who didn’t want the story to pay attention to him, and all the attention went to the players who changed their lives and became better people.